What kind of commander brings out what kind of soldiers? This truth of war is eternal and unchanged, and it is certainly the same in the long run.
There is obvious white smoke steaming out of the power cabin heat dissipation window at the rear end of the car body, but the maneuverability of the car has not been affected yet, and it is not known how long it can last. The King Tiger continues to maneuver without any hesitation.
It's as if nothing happened at all.
The gun muzzles, which rotated rapidly under the double blessing, finally overlapped the gun lines when the Sherman was forced to slow down because it crossed a masonry obstacle.
The gunner who had finished aiming had already put his index finger on the trigger. The commander, whose field of vision and the gunner's field of view always kept the manual steering consistent, gave the order almost as soon as he completed the aiming.
"Fire!"
boom--
The huge roar of the cannon burst out with strong propellant combustion chemical energy, which then scattered into bright flames. The violently vibrating muzzle shock wave washed away the fallen dust under the Tiger King's body and scattered it in the air.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and the full-caliber armor-piercing projectile that escaped from the barrel broke away from the muzzle brake like an arrow and headed straight towards the target.
The muzzle of the gun that barely kept up with the target's maneuver was not completely pointed at the target's core. The goal of this gun was not to completely destroy the target, but to first prevent it from continuing to maneuver wildly and threaten itself.
Everyone knows that only by preserving oneself can one destroy the enemy, and the results that come in a flash are exactly as expected.
Boom——
The power cabin that was filled with armor-piercing projectiles exploded violently. Flames and black smoke burst out at the same time, accompanied by the twisted sound of the entire engine being torn apart.
Sherman, whose butt was breathing fire like a drunken man, tilted his head until he hit the edge of a half-collapsed hut parked on the roadside. He could no longer move. The middle and front sections of the car that had not been affected by the fire, and
There was a reaction in the turret fighting room very quickly. It was the hurriedly fleeing US armored soldiers who opened the hatch cover and prepared to abandon the vehicle and escape.
"Armor-piercing bullets! Continue!"
"Loading completed!"
"Repeat target, hit in the stomach! Fire!"
boom--
Even though the enemy tanks had lost their combat effectiveness and began to abandon their vehicles, the SS commander, who showed no mercy at all, still issued a death order as cold and cruel as his skull cap emblem.
The lives of the five U.S. armored soldiers were doomed in just two or three seconds of his words.
The Chang 88 King Tiger, which is powered by a semi-automatic loader, has a rate of fire so fast that the US armored soldiers who had just parked the vehicle only had time to open the hatch and had no chance to get out of the vehicle and run away. Again.
The full-caliber hooded armor-piercing projectile fired had already whizzed in, hit the Sherman's thin-skinned side armor, and blasted in violently.
Boom——
Although there was no violent explosion of ammunition or the flying of the turret, there was still a burning flame of death that crazily shot out.
The No. 112 King Tiger, which successfully caused the entire vehicle to catch fire with a follow-up shot, achieved its goal and achieved a "double kill" on the US tank in less than three minutes of fighting. It took a pair of two to put the good brothers on the road.
An M4A3E8 long-barreled Sherman was successfully killed.
The price is that this Tiger King was just issued not long ago, and even the camouflage paint on the body is still 90% new. It is completely worn out.
It is very similar to the scene in a steamed bun shop when steaming steamed buns in a steamer. The increasingly violent white smoke continues to spray out from the heat dissipation window of the power cabin with uncontrollable momentum, steaming up. Even the car
The fighting room in the middle part of the body was also filled with white smoke, which was pungent and choking, and tortured people to the extreme.
"Get out! Everyone get out! Rescue the car quickly, quickly!"
It is particularly difficult to replenish this batch of new King Tigers, and for a long time after receiving this batch of new King Tigers, if nothing unexpected happens, the 101st SS Heavy Armored Battalion will not be able to get any more.
Effective replenishment, even if there is priority replenishment favored by the head of state, you will have to wait for a while.
Therefore, these hard-won precious new cars must be saved, cherished, and used with care. This is what the quartermaster who escorted the delivery of these new cars clearly emphasized to everyone in the 101st Battalion who came to pick them up.
The commander of the No. 112 King Tiger did not want to be forced to take several of his brothers to serve as infantry for a long time. The infantry tactical skills he mastered were limited to self-protection, and they were not professional at all.
Without the tanks, the battlefield survival rate of these "rookie amateur infantrymen" is undoubtedly very low. They are definitely not as good as those armored grenadiers. At least they are doing physical fighting work, so they must be professional.
Much more.
Therefore, logically and logically, when the battle could be considered to be over for the time being, the first thing the commander of the No. 112 King Tiger thought of was "hurry up and save the car."
After the order was given, without saying a word, he picked up the portable fire extinguisher and rushed out of the car. Several other crew members in the car also followed suit. Knowing the importance of their precious car, they picked up fire extinguishing tools and followed the car closely.
Long rush outward.
When we arrived at the back of the car, the scene had worsened, and the steaming white smoke turned into dyed black smoke, which became even more pungent and choking.
This indicates that even if there is no open flames spouting out yet, some components in the car are already at the last moment of spontaneous combustion and fire. It is far from just a simple problem of "engine overload".
"Quick! Put out the fire, get in!"
The earphones ran away, the military cap was lost, and even the military uniform on his body was cut off for some unknown reason. The commander took the lead, picked up the fire extinguisher in his hand, and rushed directly to the Tiger King's butt, holding it with his left hand.
Nozzle, hold the pressure handle with your right hand, aim at the heat dissipation window of the power cabin that is emitting hot black smoke, and start spraying directly.
Not daring to show any signs of neglect, several other crew members who arrived later also swarmed over, and the combined force of several vehicle-mounted fire extinguishers finally had an effect.
The natural danger of an open fire was suppressed before an open fire could occur. A short moment later, only the evaporating mist and residual traces of the fire extinguisher's spray remained on the Tiger King's butt.
Although 80% of it is immobile, at least the vehicle is basically intact and has the possibility of being restored and used again on the battlefield.
After a series of tense and suffocating battles coupled with extremely thrilling rescue and firefighting, several SS armored soldiers who had finished all their duties were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The fatigue after the adrenaline rush receded soon followed, and they were on the verge of collapse.
, the gunner who was still holding the fire extinguisher in his hand was the first to be unable to hold on, and collapsed on the ground with a long sigh.
"Damn it! I almost died. If the fuel tank exploded, all of us would die!"
The loader on the side waved his hand casually, put down the fire extinguisher in his hand and just sighed.
"Stop complaining. At least you are alive. Living is better than anything else..."
"Hoo-ho-ho-"
The commander, who was also gasping for air, had no complaints. The fire extinguisher in his hand had already fallen to the ground and rolled to his feet. When he quietly looked back, he only saw the body of a US armored soldier who failed in the flames.
It hung abruptly and ferociously outside the turret, still being licked by the tongues of fire.
I didn't know what to say, and my heart was filled with mixed emotions. After a brief moment of silence, I could only sigh in the end.
"This is the fate of armored soldiers, the fate of all of us, including them."